This post was updated Feb. 29 at 10:55 p.m.
A trip to meet the Stanford tree
Aaron Doyle, Daily Bruin contributor
No. 10 UCLA gymnastics is set to compete Friday against No. 24 Stanford in one of its final Pac-12 matchups.
Following a second conference loss to California last weekend, UCLA will have to rely on slip-ups from Cal and Utah to clinch at least a share of the Pac-12 regular season title.
The upcoming meet against the Cardinal brings the chance to replace early-season away scores that are dragging down the Bruins’ national qualifying score – consisting of the team’s six highest scores, with at least three of the counting scores coming from away meets. The highest score is then dropped, and the remaining five scores are averaged.
With an NQS of 197.335, the Bruins are sitting 10th in the national rankings and as the third-ranked Pac-12 team.
“If we can bump up two more away scores, I think we’re going to be able to be more where I think we belong, near the top five,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “These next two weekends are important for us to build on what we’ve done this season.”
NQS lacks importance during the regular season but plays a big role in seeding for NCAA regionals.
Although the Bruins’ position in the national rankings would safely secure a bid to regionals, the current standings would leave them with another chance to be put head-to-head against the Utes or Golden Bears, which they have lost to in both dual matchups in 2024.
As NQS becomes increasingly important for the Bruins, one of UCLA’s key gymnasts is set to return to competition after missing the past two meets.
Junior Emma Malabuyo returned to Los Angeles from Cottbus, Germany, after competing in two World Cups, eyeing an Olympic qualification spot for the Philippines. Malabuyo, who picked up a second-place finish on floor at the Baku World Cup, could return to lineups despite returning from international travel this week.
“I’m not sure how jet lag is going to affect her, but she’s actually handled things beautifully,” McDonald said. “We’re thinking probably bars and beam, but we’ll see if it’s going to be anything more than that.”
The Bubble
Samantha Garcia, Daily Bruin contributor
As the Bruins prepare for the postseason, they will need all hands on deck.
Especially from their bubble athletes, McDonald said.
Throughout the season, several of those bubble athletes – gymnasts on the cusp of lineups – have made their way in and out as the Bruins test out which combination of six gymnasts works best for each rotation.
On Sunday, freshman Alex Irvine earned a 9.900 in an exhibition bars routine after falling twice in previous competitions. Meanwhile, senior Katie McNamara made her season debut on beam in an exhibition routine – scoring a 9.800 – after an injury kept her out for a majority of the 2023 season.
“It was so exciting to see Katie get back out there, especially after the season-ending injury last year, to work her way back and then be able to see her out there. It was just a really special moment,” McDonald said. “Same with Alex. Alex is ready on all four events and I don’t know if I could’ve predicted that she would look this great and this confident her freshman year.”
Over the past three meets, sophomore Maddie Anyimi has made appearances in the vault and bars lineups, while senior Frida Esparza has returned to the bars and beam lineup after missing the 2023 season due to injury.
“I think it’s pretty good,” Esparza said. “I still feel like there is a lot I need to work on, so I am just going to take that, put it in the confidence bank and make sure it doesn’t go to my head, and keep working hard.”
Last weekend, Esparza earned a 9.950 career-high on bars and tied her 9.900 career-high on beam – the event she fell on the week prior.
McDonald said the bubble gymnasts are inspired by Esparza, and watching the senior gain her confidence back has helped ignite that feeling team-wide.
“We’re seeing a lot of those athletes that have kind of been in and out of the lineups just really locked into their consistency and their confidence, which has been exciting to see, and I think Frida is a big part of that,” McDonald said. “The leadership she’s shown through the preseason and just overcoming some of the confidence issues and things as we started the season has been really beneficial to our team.”
McDonald added that she feels that the team’s passion – along with its consistency – will take it far as it heads into the postseason.
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